Chapter 1767 - Ch: 16-17

chapter 16

THURSDAY, MARCH 30th, 1995 – DIAGON ALLEY, LONDON.

Upon leaving the bank, the teens split into several groups. At least a couple of groups of girls, including all the Muggle Borns, were heading into Muggle London to shop. There were other groups fanning out throughout the Alley. Harry and Neville were left to themselves and had over two hours before they had agreed to meet at least some of the girls for lunch at a café before they were dragged off to buy new clothes. The boys only planned stop for now was Ollivanders to get Neville his wand.

The store looked just the same as it had when Harry had bought his wand over four years earlier as did the Wandmaker himself when he came to wait upon them. And Ollivander was no less creepy now as he had been then, although at least there was no more about that other wand. It did not take Neville nearly as long to have a wand match him. He knew it the moment he touched the handle of the eleven inch Holly wand with dragon heartstring core. To be certain, however, he tried to cast his Patronus and was susprised that it actually worked, although there was not a lot of room for him, Harry and the huge silvery bear in the shop. If it had impressed Ollivander, the old man was silent.

They left the shop with Neville's wand in an arm holster he had bought. They actually bought twenty of these that were said to be charmed to prevent the wand from dropping or being summoned from the holster. They still and loads of time to kill before lunch and no real plan. Harry was thinking about stopping by either Bangle & Japes Joke Shop or Quality Quidditch Supplies just to see what they had when Neville all but dragged him into another shop. Harry knew immediately it was a Jewelry store. While the store was open, there was no one around.

"What's this?" Harry asked.

"We just married nine smart and totally drop dead gorgeous witches! They're going to want rings and stuff and my guess is we do it now and surprise them…"

"We won't have to hear about it for ages and stuff. Got it. I have no idea about any of this."

"My Gran taught me a fair bit about this stuff. It's one of those rich Pureblood things, I guess. Follow my lead."

"We don't want this getting around."

"I know and I have an idea. Now let's see if we can get some service."

They walked to the main counter and looked at all the jewelry beneath the glass. Harry had no clue about any of it. Trust Neville, he though to himself as a man walked in from the back and stood behind the counter.

"May I help you gentlemen?" the man asked.

"Yes Sir," Neville replied. "My friend here and I have rather substantial trust vaults at our immediate disposal. We also have several friends of ours and of our families who are to be married over the next several months."

"Jolly for them."

"Indeed," Neville continued. "But while we are young men of some means, our friends are not. This is supposed to be a very special time for them, don't you agree?"

The man nodded.

"We decided we can't just sit back and see their ladies left with less than the best when we can help. Isn't that right?"

"It is," Harry said.

"So, while we're not willing to go terribly over the top, we want our friends intended to remember this forever and that means they need to be able to give their girls unforgettable gifts, don't you agree?"

The man nodded. "It all comes down to the Galleons," he began.

Neville handed the man his Gringotts card. "You can check."

The man swiped the card and was stunned. No Limit appeared on the parchment. The same was true for the other young man. The jeweler gulped. "How may I be of service?"

"We have eighteen friends getting married," Neville said. "I will take care of nine and my friend the other nine. The ladies deserve a good wedding. So what I was thinking - assuming you can help us - was rings, necklaces and earrings for the lot of them. I see you have one carat diamond studs?"

The man nodded. "Quite a few, actually."

"And quite a few of the single pearl ones as well, I see. And opals as well. Right, we'll take eighteen of each."

"Right you are, Sir!" the man said.

"Place them in rows on the counter," Neville said. "Diamond, pearl and opal. We don't want them to get miss-matched. Each of the ladies orders will be different in the end."

The man complied.

"Right," Neville said, "my friend and I will look at your display for some of the necklaces we may purchase for our friends, but we also have in mind a custom job…"

Harry gave Neville a questioning look.

"One necklace for each shall feature their birth gemstone I should think. We'll pay 2,000 for them each at the maximum. The stones are by month, yes?"

The jeweler nodded.

"And you have them in stock?"

He nodded again.

"James?" Neville said looking at Harry, "you do know the birth months of the ones you're assigned."

Harry nodded. "I got two Septembers," he replied. "What's that stone?"

"Sapphire," the Jeweler said. "Deep blue."

"One of those and I should think - I've heard about them - you have Fire Opals in that price range?"

"I do."

"Fine then. One of my Septembers will be that."

"We want them all to be unique in their own way," Neville said.

"They shall be, Sir. And the others?"

"One January," Harry said.

"That would be a Garnett, a deep, red stone not as brilliant as a Ruby but quite nice," the man said.

"A February," Harry continued.

"Amethyst. It's a purple stone."

"March," Harry said.

"Aquamarine. It's pale blue."

"I think that would be a wonderful color for her. May?"

"Emerald. They're green."

Harry knew that as more than one of his girls had commented that his eyes reminded them of emeralds. "July?"

"That would be a Ruby, sir."

"October?"

"Tourmaline. It's a pink stone."

"And November," Harry concluded.

"Citrine. It's yellow. And you Sir?" the man said turning to Neville.

"A January, a February, a March, a May and June?"

"Either Pearl or Moonstone."

Neville smiled. "I think Moonstone suits her better. I have two Augusts."

"That would be the Peridot, which is a pale green as compared to the Emeralds."

Neville nodded. "I have one October as well and a December."

"December is a blue stone. I would recommend the Blue Topaz."

"That would be fine. Next up are the engagement rings. You can do those custom, yes?"

The man nodded.

"We'd like to see your two carat diamonds. I assume you have some unset?"

"Of course, Sir! Several different cuts, Sir!"

The man told them the names of the various cuts he used for what he called solitaires. They were: Round, Oval, Marquise, Pear, Princess, and Emerald. There were at least four of each on the counter. Each of the boys selected two Rounds, Ovals, Marquises, and Pears. They were to be set on either a gold or platinum ring with a matching wedding band that would have three small diamonds. Harry had the Emerald Cut set in platinum with a matching wedding band. He seemed to recall Hermione once saying she liked that cut. He hoped he remembered her correctly. Neville had the Pear Cut stone set on a gold band with matching wedding ring. They then selected one ring for themselves, explaining that most of their male friend already had their wedding rings or were getting them.

They were told that it would take about an hour and a half for the custom jewelry to be ready. After the man disappeared into the back, the boys looked over the displays and selected more necklaces for their girls. They each selected a simple gold one, one with diamonds and one with pearls for each of their girls as well.

Almost two hours later, the jewelry were in boxes, each had a label on it with a number which told Harry who the box was meant for. The boxes were then placed in two large shopping bags per boy and the man swiped their cards effectively adding over 34,000 Galleons to the shops Vault, commenting that he and his wife might finally be able to take that trip to Italy she's been on about for ages. Neither Harry nor Neville felt that their purchases were too expensive. Harry was getting set to leave with his purchases when Neville stopped him.

"Call Dobby," Neville said.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Two reasons. First of all you have a House Elf and it is considered normal for you to call them to relieve you of your shopping bags. Then there's the fact that if we show up at lunch with these bags, the girls are sure to ask what's in them."

"Good point."

As a very happy Dobby popped away with their shopping with instructions to place their bags in their private studies for now, the two boys decided they would give their girls their goodies the following night once this shopping madness was at an end. After a nice lunch with some of their girls, the nightmare truly began for Harry as Padma, Daphne, Rosie and Hannah spent the next several hours using him as a dress up doll, although he would admit he now had a large, decent wardrobe of his own that fit him well. He would bin his old clothes when he returned as none of them fit anymore even if they once had.

THURSDAY, MARCH 30th 1995 - SOUTH WING

They had dinner together in the Dining Room on the Main Floor. It was a test of the menu system the girls had devised with the help of the elves for their guests during the last Time Compression. The larders were now overflowing - well maybe not literally - with food stuffs as the elves had spent the day purchasing "luxury" items meaning ingredients and food items not generally available from Food Distribution. Given that the menu would include multiple cuisines, finding and buying the additional items was considered necessary. Most Asian foods required ingredients not generally available from the Distribution Center, for example.

Just as they were finishing dessert - after agreeing that this menu thing might work - multiple "pops" were heard just outside the Dinning Room. This cause Hermione and the others concern as it sounded like apparition and this place was supposed to be warded against it. Wands drawn, twenty students went in search of the source of the noise. Even before they left the Dining Room, they heard more sounds of apparition.

Much to Hermione's chagrin, Harry led the group out. He entered the wide hall that divided the Main Floor and was the first to see three groups of House Elves. One group he knew. There were fourteen of them and it was the smallest group. These were the Elves that had been with them the whole time including Dobby (wearing miss-matched socks and his lederhosen and tee shirt) and Winky. There were two other groups. One was dressed in deep blue robes and numbered fifty-nine elves total, both male and female although Harry did not have time to count. The other were in dark brown robes and numbered forty-nine. The one thing Harry could think was he doubted these were Hogwarts elves.

"Toby? Tarla? Eddie? What the bloody hell is going on?" Neville said. He obviously knew some of the new elves, at least some of the ones in the brown robes. He turned to Harry. "Toby and Tarla are my personal elves. They've been with me for as long as I can remember. Eddie is the Head Elf of House Longbottom."

"You have become Head of House, Lord Longbottom," the older Elf Eddie said. "There are staffing decisions requiring your attention."

Neville nodded in understanding. Harry looked confused as an older elf in blue robes approached him.

"I am Tom," the elf said, "Head Elf of the Potter Estates, Lord Potter. Since the death of the last Lord Potter in December 1982, we have been without direction and carried out our tasks as assigned, but there are new elves in need of assignment."

"December 1982?" Harry asked. "But my father died until the end of October 1981!"

"Your father never claimed his birthright at Gringotts. Your grandfather was the last Lord Potter and he was murdered by Death Eaters. I seek your guidance on assignments for our young ones who've come of age since that terrible day."

"Assignments?" Harry asked.

"Harry," Neville said. "While most the old families and just about all magical families of any but the most modest means have House Elves, few have more than a handful. My family has well over three hundred spread about our properties. It would seem yours has a fair few as well. If allowed or if they're enough of them, House Elves have families of their own one day. They come of age at around age ten and can be set to their apprenticeships at that time. They usually don't marry until they're in their thirties or so, but they all will in time given a mate and a chance. That means little House Elves.

"In a large family such as mine - at least as far as our House Elves side is concerned, it is the duty of the Head of House to approve the apprenticeships for each Elf once that come of age.

"Eddie?" Neville said. "As it is custom for the Lord and his Ladies to have an elf couple assigned to each for their needs and those of their children, assign eight males and four females to such capacity for my wives. Toby and Tarla shall remain as my personal elves. I think an additional eight can be assigned here for now as additional staff. Assign the remainder as you see fit, but understanding my wives are expecting and my children will need personal attendants once they are old enough."

"As you wish, Lord Longbottom," Eddie said. Twenty elves in brown stepped forward and the remainder remained behind and popped away with Eddie.

"That sounds like a plan," Harry said to Tom who nodded and twenty of the elves in blue stepped forward.

"My Lord?" Tom said. "With your permission, I'd like to assign twelve to the renovation of your cottage in nearby Hogsmeade. As I understand, the use it was put to on loan to Dumbledore has long since come to an end and it is in need of a lot of work."

"Do as you see fit, Tom," Harry said.

The older elf nodded and the remaining elves in blue not assigned to the South Wing popped away with him. Harry kept wondering whether someone up above was laughing about how weird his life had become.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31st, 1995 - KNOCKTURN ALLEY, LONDON.

The shop did not have a name on the storefront, nor was there any indication as to what its proprietor sold. The twenty of them entered and unlike Ollivanders, where was room for them all before the counter although it was a close fit. Even now, there was almost no indication that this was a wand shop for, unlike Ollivanders, there were no rows upon rows of shelves stacked with wand boxes. There were no shelves at all. Just a couple of wands on display.

A man entered from a back room. He wore what looked like reading glasses and looked a lot younger than Mr. Ollivander and, as far as Harry could tell, a lot less creepy. But he did look grouchy.

"This isn't a tourist sight, you lot, and Knockturn Alley is not a good place for youngsters such as yourselves to be wandering about," he said.

"We were wondering if we could buy some wands," Harry began.

"I normally don't cater to school age children," the man began, "certainly not to any without their parents about."

Harry then revealed his ring. The others did so as well.

"Alright, that changes it a bit. Ollivander's not good enough for you lot?"

"We already have a wand," Harry said. "We're looking to by a second."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Explains why you're here, given that Ollie doesn't sell seconds to children, even ones with House Rings. Then again, he can rarely find two matches in that shop of his. Don't get me wrong. I apprenticed under him for a time and his wands are pretty good, but I don't work the way he does. And that means my wands are bloody expensive compared to his. The cheapest any of you can expect is seventy Galleons and it could be a lot more and you can't negotiate the price! If the wand for you is a hundred and fifty, that's it then! So if you're looking for a bargain or deal, you're in the wrong shop."

"We don't think money will be an issue," Harry said. "But just out of curiosity, why are they so much more expensive."

"There are several reasons, but the main one is look around. Do you see any inventory? Are there any wands lying about or stacked in boxes?"

Several shook their heads.

"And you won't find any in back either, unless it's one I just finished for a customer. Ollie makes his wands well in advance. There are wands in his shop still waiting for a match that have been there since his Great-grandfather ran the place. He tells all of his first time customers that no two wands are alike, and he's right. No two wands can ever be alike! Even if he or I were to make two wands from the same branch of the same tree using sections of the same core material from the same source and making them exactly the same in every other detail, they would still be unique because we used a different part of the tree and material in each. The difference may be small, but that's all it takes.

"To increase the possibility that a random wand with match with a random witch or wizard, Ollie limits the variables. First, he only uses thirteen kinds of wood for his wands. They are the woods associated with the months of the Celtic calendar, which makes sense given that his family began making wands centuries before the Romans came. He also only uses a handful of core materials: unicorn hair, dragon heartstring, phoenix feather when he can get it, sea serpent scale and hippogriff feather.

"Now Ollie tells everyone that the wand chooses the witch or wizard - at least all the first time buyers. That is more a metaphor than truth. It implies a wand is sentient, which it is not. What each wand has is its own unique magical signature just as every witch or wizard has their own unique signature. A wand reacts to a witch or wizard if that person's magic is more or less in tune with the magic of the wand. And I mean more or less. Children are often able to use the wands of their other family members, although this is not always the case. What you have is a matched wand or an almost matched wand, but it would be rare in the extreme that such a wand is a perfect match for their owner."

"A perfect match?" Hermione asked.

"A perfectly matched wand is perfectly in tune with its owner. Once so matched, the wand will never work for anyone else. That's why Aurors and Hit Wizards are among my usual clients. You lose your Ollivander wand in a high stakes duel and it might work for whoever picks it up. It often will work for the person who disarmed you. Not a good thing in a fight. A perfectly matched wand will never work for anyone else, ever! But, while any competent wandmaker can make a wand perfectly suited for the customer, it is extremely complicated to do so - and expensive - and time consuming. Most people are unwilling to wait two to three weeks to get a wand."

"We don't mind about the cost or the time," Harry said. "It's not like we need them today."

The man nodded. "To make a perfect wand for you, I can't restrict myself to a handful of wand woods and core materials. I had over a hundred and fifty different woods from around the world and over two hundred different core materials. Likewise, the materials are not restricted to magical creatures. Magical plants work as well. Finally, most of my wands have at least three core materials, some have more depending upon what best matches the customer's magical signature."

"How can you do that?" Hermione asked.

"I could say because I'm a genius or part seer or the best there is in this trade. I'd like to think I am the latter of those, but it's actually fairly straight forward.

"First off," he waived a wand and the countertop changed. It now looked like a display rack with well over one hundred foot long sticks of wood in all sorts of colors from almost pure white to black with browns, yellows, reds and even some greens, orange and a purple as well. He then placed a bowl of red liquid at one end of the display case. "What I will ask you to do is dip your finger in this potion here," he said indicating the bowl. "It's harmless, unless you're fool enough to drink it. What it will do is allow your magic to interact with the wood. You will then touch each and every stick in this case. What we are looking for is a golden glow, and we check each stick in case there's more than one reaction. We're looking for the strongest one. That one will be your wand wood. Queue up!"

Harry went first. It was a while, it seemed, before there was any reaction at all. The first he got was from Holly, the same wood in his wand. He knew what it was because each stick had a label.

"Is that your current wand wood?" the man asked.

Harry nodded.

"Right. Keep going."

A few moments later, he got a much stronger reaction one which would prove to be the strongest. The label read "American Cherry." When Harry touched the last piece of wood (walnut) there was no reaction and the wand maker made a note on a pad. There was a bowl of clear liquid at the end which Harry was told to place his finger in to neutralize the potion.

One by one the others did the same thing. It took about an hour for all of them. In the end, only Hermione was getting a new wand from her same wand wood (Vine). She was also the only one with any wood native to the British Isles. No two of them had the same wood, not even the Patil twins, although they both reacted strongest to a couple of woods native to India. The group had woods from all over the world which surprised them all, although the Wandmaker said it was not that unusual.

Next, they repeated the process with a green potion and magical plant materials for their cores. There were about two hundred different samples. Harry got a very strong reaction from two of them. He would never be able to remember their names, only where they came from. One came from the Amazon Jungle in Brazil and the other from a place called Borneo. A few of them had no reactions at all, but were told that was not unusual and not to worry about it. Aside from Harry, Neville was the only one who had a reaction to more than one type of plant material - in his case three. Harry remembered one was European Magical Hemlock and that another was from the Congo and the third from China.

Finally, there were the magical creature materials. This time the potion was blue. Harry reacted to phoenix feather, but it was not as strong as Ashwinder Scale and something called Kurabaca Hair. Those two would be used in his wand. He recalled the Ashwinder was primarily found in North Africa. The other creature was native to South America, apparently. "A very global wand indeed," the wandmaker commented.

Aside from Neville, everyone had at least two materials from this tray. Neville only had Chinese Fireball scale. But he was tied with Harry with four components and the others had only two or three.

The last person through the line was Gabrielle. At one point, after getting two strong reactions (she had not had any luck with the plants) she absently ran her finger through her hair. She did not see what happened, but most others did. There was a strong, golden glow.

"You wouldn't be Veela, by chance?" the wandmaker asked.

Gabrielle nodded.

"That explains it then. Under certain circumstances, Veela hair would produce such a reaction. Your current wand?"

"Veela hair from my grandmother, just like my sister."

The man nodded. "Ollie thinks it's a temperamental material. It can be. It always is if the hair is taken without the consent of the Veela and it can be if the wand is given to someone who is not somehow connected to the donor. But if your grandmother gave the hair specifically for your wand, it is quite a powerful core material. The best match for a Veela is her own hair, assuming her magic has that affinity to begin with, which is by no means certain. The next best would be from her mother or grandmother, assuming they love their child. It can also work for another … a person for whom the donating Veela has very strong feelings for. Do you have strong feelings for some in this room?"

Gabrielle nodded.

"If they get a strong reaction from your hair, would you be willing to donate them a strand?"

Gabrielle nodded again. Everyone tried her hair. In the end, eleven strands were removed as the root was needed for the wand core. In addition to her own wand, Gabrielle's hair could become part of Harry's wand, each of Harry's other wives, and Gabrielle's best friend Michelle.

The man finished making notes on his pad. "Okay then, it you want your wand from me, here's the damage…"

They were very expensive. Gabrielle's was the least so at only ninety-one Galleons. Harry's was a whopping a hundred sixty-seven, with Neville next at about twenty Galleons less and everyone else somewhere in between. They were told the wands would be ready for pick up in four weeks and that their elves would be acceptable, unless they wanted the wands as they were finished. The group agreed to send a couple of elves (one from each House) in four weeks time.

THE SOUTH WING around noon.

The floo flashed green and a tall, thin man with long black hair stepped out and looked around. He had assumed his invitation was to one of the Potter properties, but looking at this large room with fancy furnishings and paintings he did not recognize as magical, much less as anything he had seen before, he was not so certain. He heard the floo flare again and another man stepped out. He too was tall and thin, but while the first man appeared somewhat under nourished, the second sandy haired man was probably naturally thin. The second man carried a suitcase. He too looked around in confusion.

"What is this place, Moony?" Sirius Black asked.

"Never been here before either?" Remus Lupin asked back.

"Can't say that I have. Judging by the paintings, I wonder if this place is even magical."

"Judging by that Elf over there, I think you'd be mistaken," Lupin said pointing at an elf behind a short counter in one of the corners near some stairs and what looked like a lift. The two walked over.

"Ah!" the Elf said looking up. "You are the first to arrive. I am Emile, personal Elf to Mademoiselle Gabrielle Delacour and am acting as Chief Concierge. Welcome to the South Wing. Front!"

"France, you think?" Sirius said noting the slight accent.

Remus merely shrugged as another Elf came over, this one wearing a pair of miss matched socks, lederhosen and a Def Lepard Tee-Shirt.

"Dobby?" the first elf said, "these are Mr. Sirius Black and Mr. Remus Lupin. Mr. Black is assigned Room 501 and Mr. Lupin Room 502. Escort them to their room please."

"Right away, Concierge Emile!" the Elf said. "This way Professor Lupin and the Great Harry Potter's Godfather!"

They followed the strange elf to the lift and entered. They could tell immediately they were on whatever floor "2" was and saw the elf press a button at elf level - there were additional buttons for people of their height. It was for "5". The doors soon opened on and they were soon walking down a long corridor. The first two doors they passed on either side of the corridor had the numbers 522 and 521 and the numbers descended from there. Finally they reached what appeared to be the last two doors - 501 and 502. Beyond they could see a huge room of some sort.

"These being your rooms," the elf said. "501 being the Great Harry Potter's Godfather's and 502 being Professor Lupin's. These being your keys, Sir," he added handing them each a key, "although once you being keyed, you can use your wands to open."

"I don't have a wand," Sirius muttered.

"The Great Harry Potter needs telling, Sir! Dobby be sure the Great Harry Potter be finding a way to gets his Godfather a wand. Can'ts be having a wizard withouts his wand, Sir!"

"Who are you?" Sirius asked.

"Dobby, Sir. The Great Harry Potter saves Dobby from mean family and Dobby bonds to the Great Harry Potter! But the Great Harry Potter being no Master to Dobby. The Great Harry Potter being Dobby's friend! Dobby being the Great Harry Potter's personal elf, Sir!"

"And your acting as our Valet or what do you call it?" Remus asked.

"There being many guests arriving today and tomorrow, Sir," Dobby said. "We all be acting as such at one point or another. Your rooms Sirs!"

Remus turned to his room and Sirius to his and they unlocked and opened the door. The room was huge! There was a large bed along one wall with night stands on either side. There was also a desk, dresser and chairs around a table and even a couch, plus a decent fireplace with windows on either side. On one wall there were two additional doors, but before Sirius could explore them there was a snap and he found himself stuck in a chair looking at a female elf in a dress.

"My mistress said you'd be a raggamuffin," the elf said. "She was truly being kind. Your clothes are rags! Fortunately we can deal with that. Your hair…when was the last time you shaved?"

Sirius was too surprised to answer.

"And you stink of sweat and … hippogriff?" The elf wrinkled her nose. "Right then! Shave!" she snapped her fingers. "Hair cut!" she snapped them again. "Now don't force me to make you shower or brush you teeth! Don't worry about those rags of yours, you'll never see them again. While you shower, I'll lay out some decent things for you. That door!" she pointed.

Sirius knew better than to argue with an elf that was not bound to him. Besides, a shower and all that sounded nice.

Sirius had no idea how long he enjoyed his first shower in years, but he did enjoy it. It was only after he saw himself in a mirror for the first time. He was much thinner than he remembered but what caught his attention… That elf butchered my hair! He thought. He never remembered it being this short. Then again, no one else would either, would they? A disguise without a disguise, he thought. Someone was bloody brilliant! He walked back into the main room - bedroom - of his with a towel around his waste almost humming and with almost a smile and saw that there were clothes laid out for him on the bed and a pair of shoes as well. He had been barefoot for well over a decade now. Luxury upon luxury - thank you Harry, he thought as he dressed.

He only noticed the picture or painting over his bed after he dressed. It made no sense to him at all. It was clearly not magical. Even a wizard lacked that insane imagination!

"You be dressed!" a voice said and he saw the female House Elf again. "You be looking dashing, Winky thinks!"

"Winky?"

"I be sorry," she said almost moping. "You be so dirty and such I not be introducing myself properly. I be Winky. I be personal Elf and handmaiden to my Hermione."

"Hermione?" Sirius asked. "Hermione Granger? I thought she was a Muggle Born."

"She be that," Winky said proudly. "But she saves Winky's life by accepting Winky's bond and she now be Winky's friend."

"You butchered my hair!" Sirius said not wanting to get into the details of these elves. Something had happened and he doubted he could get it from them.

"Winky be agreeing with her Mistress. You be dashing with new clothes and hair. Besides…" the elf snapped her fingers. "Now only those who believe Sirius Black is innocent can sees him. Others will see someone else - at least until they believes."

"What's that?" Sirius asked pointing to the painting above his bed.

"Mistress Hermione be thinking the Dog Man mights find it funny. It's a muggle painting - although it not being considered a true work of art."

"It's a bunch of dogs playing cards!" Sirius said.

"My Mistress thinks you will see the irony in that," the elf said.

Sirius looked at the tacky picture and thought about the statement and then chuckled and soon laughed beyond the point where it hurt. "She's quite right," he finally said.

"Mr. Lupin be on the balcony," the elf said. "Out your door to the right, through the guest lounge and out the door."

"Thank you, I guess," Sirius said.

He followed the elf's simple directions and soon stepped out on the balcony of the floor. Remus was there looking out at the scenery.

"Moony?" he asked.

"Take a look, Padfoot," the man said. "I swear this is part of Hogwarts!"

Sirius looked out and saw the lake. It was truly familiar and then off to a side…

"Hogsmeade?" he said.

"Either that or some replica," Remus replied.

"This can't be safe!"

"It can," a squeaky voice sounded. They turned and saw the elf called Dobby. "This once being the South Wing of Hogywarts. It now being home to House Potter and House Longbottom. It be having very powerful wards to keep out any but the invited. There's being a rune based Fidelius. All the wards are rune based. There's being notice-me-not and similar at the only entrance from the school and repelling wards as well. There's being wards against polyjuice potions, invisibility, animagus - those actually being malicious intent repelling wards - apparition, portkeys, the Floo, dementors - actually most magical creatures unless they be bonded to the Houses - to name but a few of them. The wards even be working against House Elves save those already bound to the two Houses. Unless you be living here or invited, this place no longer exists. And the wards being placed inside the walls, not outside."

"That's brilliant!" Remus said.

"Oh?" Sirius asked.

"Most property wards use boundary stones with warding runes to define the warded area. Their weakness is a ward breaker can find them and with effort get through the ward to get to the stones. Deactivate a boundary stone and the ward collapses, at least in that area. But there is no property line here, is there? We jut out over the lake. By placing the runes inside, a ward breaker would have to get through the full force of the wards to even begin to take them down and, my guess is he'd have to deactivate all the runes. Good luck finding them. The only way to force your way in would probably require you to destroy most of the wing. Given that you can't even find the wing, good luck. Add to it that Hogwarts sits atop a major magical node and the wards are very powerful to begin with. But why would Dumbledore do this?"

"Dumbledore not be doing this," Dobby said. "Dumbledore not be knowing. Miss Grangy be doing this."

"I don't understand," Remus said, "surely Dumbledore had something to do…"

The elf shook his head. "Dumbledore be knowing the Great Harry Potter is allowed to trains. Professor McGonagall be giving Miss Grangy permission to use unused part of Hogywart for training. Miss Grangy be knowing South Wing not being used and be using it for training."

"But this clearly had to be used," Sirius said. "When we were here it was abandoned and a dump! What we've seen suggests a total renovation! There's no way Hermione could have done that!"

"It tooks time," Dobby admitted. "Eighteen students and fourteen elves be working on this. Over one hundred twenty thousand hours of labor to makes what you sees now."

"But how? That's like … they skipped classes?"

"No Great Harry Potter's Godfather. They being good students and not being missing their studies! Dobby not being allowed to say how. The Great Harry Potter be telling you later. But he be only finding out two days ago. The Wing being Miss Grangy's surprise."

"This is bloody brilliant," Sirius began. "But … Dobby you do know my status."

Dobby nodded. "The Great Harry Potter's Godfather being falsely accused fugitive with wizards hunting him. No one enters this Wing without the Great Harry Potter's or Lord Longbottom's permission and … no one leaves without either. You be under the protection of two Ancient and Noble Houses - four actually."

"Four?"

"The Great Harry Potter will explains when shopping is done. The Great Harry Potter being in Diagon Alley for now. Bell will ring when Great Harry Potter being home.

"Now, you being allowed to wander the wing - mostly. Top floor being greenhouses, and there being dangerous magical plants there so if yous be going there, be careful. Sixth Floor be like this one, this being Fifth Floor. Fourth Floor being House Longbottom and being inaccessible without invitation from a member of the House. Third Floor being House Potter - same restriction. But yous being invited and will dine with House Potter. Yous may go there when the Great Harry Potter returns. Second Flood being where yous came in and has many public rooms. Main Dining Room being there. Breakfast being from six to nine, Lunch from eleven to one and Diner from six to nine, unless yous be tolds different. Snacks being available from nine in the morning 'til midnight in the recreation room which, yous being adults, also be serving adults beverages after three in the afternoon until one in the morning. There also being a music room and recreational library for yours enjoyment. First Floor being training. South side be having the Dueling Room, Lockers, Gym and Swimming Pool. North side - Hogywarts side, be having magic library, class rooms, potions labs and infirmary - although we's hopes you not be needing that's. Basement being storage, kitchens and Elf Quarters and being off limits. You be needing a snack and not be feeling likes the Dining Room or Recreation Room, we elves being happy to serve. Enjoy your stay," the elf concluded as he popped away.

"House protections, Padfoot!" Remus said. "If that's true, not even the Minister and all his men can touch you here!"

Sirius nodded. Then he chuckled. Then he laughed. "I've said Hermione was the brightest which of her age. It seems I've underestimated her!"

"Padfoot?"

"Don't you see, Moony? Don't you see a prank of gargantuan proportions right before your eyes? She's made us Marauders look like rank amateurs! She stole a whole wing of this school right from under the eyes of Dumbledore and everyone and made it so that they might not even know it's gone! Bloody brilliant doesn't even begin to describe this!"

DIAGON ALLEY

For Harry and Neville, their shopping marathon was over after an hour in the toy store buying all sorts of baby toys claiming they were gifts for a friend who had just had twins - a boy and a girl - as they both bought boy and girl toys along with loads of plush animals. Again, Dobby relieved them of their parcels and they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron to floo back to the Wing. Harry felt very relieved to make it back to the South Wing without running into anyone he knew from school aside from his shopping party.

CHpater 17

FRIDAY, MARCH 31st, 1995 - THE BURROW.

The Weasley family was the largest family in magical Britain or at least the largest family that still had children in school. It had been an Ancient and Noble line long ago but had lost its status after a serious of rather disastrous business dealings and political disputes. That being said, it had remained a respected family at least in certain circles. It was now headed by Arthur Weasley who had been born the third of four boys, the sons of Septimius Weasley and Cedrella Black in 1950.

Arthur met his future wife Molly Prewett when he started Hogwarts with her in Gryffindor House in 1961. Molly had two older brothers, Fabian and Gideon. Like the Weasleys, the Prewetts were also a very old line. They were also somewhat wealthy, where as the Weasleys had been farther down the economic ladder.

House Weasley owned over three hundred acres of land in Devon near the town of Otter St. Catchpole. There had once been a manor house on the estate, but it burned down some 200 years before Arthur was born and never rebuilt, mainly because the family no longer had the wherewithal to do so. But as Arthur was the third son, the land would go to his older brother, so he would have to find his own way in life. In the summer after their Fifth Year, Arthur asked Molly's father for permission to marry. After all, while he may not have an inheritance, he was a Prefect and at the top of his class having posted ten Outstanding O.W.L.s. His request was denied and the Prewett's were trying to arrange a match with a wealthier family.

Arthur went on to become Head Boy in his final year, a position that had almost always led to a promising career within the Ministry of Magic. In the last one hundred years, only two Head Boys did not take that path. One was Albus Dumbledore, whose works since school were well documented. The other was Tom Riddle who went to work in a shop of all places and then disappeared a couple of years later after a scandal arose where he was suspected of theft and murder. He was never heard from again.

Molly could care less about Arthur's finances at the time. The fact that he was Head Boy and therefore destined for success was enough for her peace of mind. It did not hurt that she was in love with him. During the Spring Holiday in 1968, the two eloped much to the disappointment of Molly's parents, although her brothers were very supportive. After finishing Hogwarts, Arthur did begin working for the Ministry in the Muggle Affairs Department which was affiliated with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was not considered a position for the politically ambitious, but it was a good job.

Arthur and Molly had their first son Bill in 1971. At the time they were living in a flat in London. Charlie followed in 1973. Percy was born in 1976 and Fred and George in 1978, all while living in the now magically expanded London flat. In 1979, Septimius Weasley passed away suddenly. Unlike many who died early in those years, he was not a victim of the war. But his two older sons had been. Cedrella had already passed as well, so Arthur became the Head of House Weasley and inherited the estate in Devon. Their youngest two children were born after the move.

The advantage to the estate was they no longer paid rent. But even without that expense, they now had seven children to send to Hogwarts. They knew they could not afford to do that on Arthur's salary. Arthur decided to rent out much of the estate to some Muggles who would farm it. He retained forty acres for his family in a mostly wooded section. It had a nice apple orchard, and a large meadow in the woods which the boys would use to play Quidditch. On a cleared section of about five acres, Arthur spent the summer of 1979 building their home which he named the Burrow as it was built over one.

The building was a wooden tower that looked as if it were built by someone who never heard of a plump line, level or square. It also looked like it was made from scrap wood, at least until it was painted (because, for the most part, it had been.) It had five floors. The Kitchen, eating area and living room was on the first floor. The bedrooms were on the upper floors. The only part of the house that was done by professionals were the fireplaces and chimneys and it was around this column of brick and mortar that the rest of the house rose. As odd as it might look to a Muggle, or even most magicals, the Burrow was a fairly comfortable home for the family of nine.

Hogwarts was an issue for the Weasleys, even in 1979 when there were only five children, none of whom were in school yet. The law required all Muggle Born witches and wizards be allowed to attend the school and most did. Some families chose not to and those children remained in the Muggle World. Since attendance was practically mandatory for magicals, the school provided tuition assistance for Muggle Born families who lacked the income and resources to pay. The same was not true for magical families, or at least not to the same extent. There were tuition credits based upon income level, but it was not based upon the number of children. Arthur's salary, while modest, was enough that if they saved they could send three of the boys through school without such assistance. If they really cut corners, they could probably afford to send a fourth through, but not all five. Molly figured somehow they would manage in the end. After all, they had been saving for all the children since Arthur had started working and it was still three years before they had to send any of them. Molly's attitude did not change even when she found out she was expecting again, which was not long after they moved into the Burrow.

Ron was born in March of 1980 and for the next two and a half years or so, Molly would have her hands full with six young boys running about as the oldest was not due to head off to Hogwarts until September of 1982. Ginny was the surprise that put a damper in Molly's hopes that they could manage. She would never say that Ginny was unwanted or a total accident, but she was a surprise. The first surprise was that Molly became pregnant while on the contraceptive potion. She always bought several doses of them because it was cheaper than buying one at a time. The Healer said it was probably from a bad batch and therefore did not work and the old batch wore off. The second surprise was that Ginny was a girl. That changed everything. Hand-me-downs were no longer a realistic option. Sure, maybe some play clothes. But Ginny would need skirts and dresses and girls toys and other things she could not expect to be passed down from her brothers. Even buying on discount, Ginny would be the most expensive child in the family and at the wrong end of the line. Molly seriously worried how they would pay for her education. Ron was already problematic. Molly was not about to home school her children unless there was no option. Home schooled boys rarely amounted to much. So many jobs required a formal education and O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. To get top scores, you needed top teachers and few parents could manage that in all subjects.

In a way, fate smiled upon Molly in late 1981. Near the end of October, her brother Fabian was killed. As tragic as that was, given that Giddeon and her parents were already dead and only Molly had produced children, she inherited the Prewett estate. This included the house she grew up in and a vault. She sold the house and many of the possessions. It was not a lot, but it was enough to pre-pay the tuition for all of her children. There were other things she would have liked to spend the money on. There was only one bathroom in the Burrow, for example, and despite Arthur's suggestion that he could always build and outhouse - that was not going to happen!

A month later, Albus Dumbledore showed up. He was now acting as Magical Guardian for Harry Potter - the Boy Who Lived. As such, he was offering them a marriage contract for Ginny. The terms included free tuition for Ginny through Fifth Year and ten thousand Galleons. The catch was the contract was practically unbreakable and Ginny would never sit for her N.E.W.T.s as she was expected to be married and having children by then. But Harry was the last of a very wealthy family and they needed the money going forward. Arthur was reluctant and clearly did not like the idea. Molly forced the issue. The contract provided for Ginny. They still had six boys who needed a top notch education if they ever wanted a decent job. The couple signed. Six months later, the Burrow had five new bathrooms (Ginny and her parents had small, private ones), a new kitchen and a work shed for Arthur as Molly wanted his collection of Muggle things out of the house as they cluttered up the place.

Bill Weasley began Hogwarts in 1982 and for Molly it began her dread of the place. Every year since, she had been called to the school because one of her children was in some kind of trouble. Bill began his Hogwarts career by breaking the nose of a classmate at the Sorting Ceremony. The other boy had just been sorted into Slytherin and was the son of a Death Eater in Azkaban for killing one of Bill's uncles. Bill did well in school and managed eleven O.W.L.s, one short of the maximum and the one he did not get was in a subject he never took. He would eventually become a Prefect and Head Boy, but his first three years gave rise to the famous Molly Weasley howlers. Of her other six children, the only one who never had her called to Hogwarts to deal with the child was Percy.

When Bill was named Head Boy, Molly dreamed of the day he entered the Ministry. But that did not happen. He never applied there. He told her that he did not want a boring job and, with the wizarding world at peace, there were no really exciting jobs really. He became a Curse Breaker for Gringotts and deep down Molly blamed him for Charlie later heading off to Romania to chase dragons. As far as Molly was concerned, it did not help matters that Bill chose to wear his hair long and in a ponytail and sport a dragon tooth earring.

The truth was that Bill was making more money as a Curse Breaker than any of the people he knew his age at the Ministry. His Gringotts salary once he finished his Apprenticeship was higher than many Ministry employees his age and he got a cut of the take for a successful treasure hunt. He had recently returned from a particularly successful one in Central America that had netted him a cool seventy-five thousand. He really could care less about his hair or earring. He had been home only a couple of days when Ginny had invited him to spend the weekend at Hogwarts and he had immediately accepted. Even though she had only been a year old when he headed off to school, he liked his little sister.

"Afternoon, Mum," he said as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"I thought you were out with the other boys playing Quidditch," she said.

"I was. Done with that. Ron's not happy, but I do need to get up to Hogwarts to visit the others since I have the time for now."

Molly smiled. "Care for a bite?"

"Love one," he said as his mother passed him a sandwich.

"You need a haircut and get that thing out of your ear!" she said.

"You always say that and you know where this is going," Bill replied unconcerned. "I don't need to look 'respectable' in my line of work and the birds think I'm dashing. Dad back yet?"

"No." Molly could never understand why Bill went for that job. She still could not. Working with Goblins! What kind of job was that for a Head Boy? "Are you sure you can afford to take all this time off from work? Everyone knows Goblins don't take holidays."

"And they knew we need them from time to time," Bill said.

"Are you sure you can afford it?"

Bill chuckled. "Of course I can! I'm not working for the Ministry! I make a good living what I'm doing."

"Percy just got a raise, you know," Molly said. "He's now making 6,000 a year and…"

"Don't play this game, Mother! I am not working for that organization so forget it. Besides, I would have to take a massive pay cut to do so!"

"Oh? What's a few thousand Galleons compared to a respectable job?"

"Mother, my annual salary is currently 22,000! You know of a job at the Ministry that pays that well to an honest person my age? At that does not include my bonuses! I've averaged double that per year since I received my full certification! If I leave field work, it'd be to work in the bank proper. That would mean a pay cut for me, but it would still be more than Percy can hope to make anytime soon! So forget about my ever working there! The only other job I might consider would be a teaching position at Hogwarts and being a clerk at the Ministry would not help me at all! I need the certs and experience and most Ministry jobs don't lead to that!"

Molly decided not to pursue the issue. The young man was single and earning more than his own father had ever made a year. She still did not consider his job the least bit respectable. Even with his money, she doubted he'd ever meet a respectable young witch to marry because few would associate with Gringotts employees. That and there was the fact he was gone to remote and inhospitable places eleven months of the year. "So you're heading up to Hogwarts today then?" she asked changing the subject.

"Yes mother. As soon as Dad gets here."

"Did you ask your brother Ron to go with you?"

"He and his friends have no intention of heading up there anytime before Sunday. He made that clear Wednesday when they arrived and again this morning."

Molly snorted. "He could be using this time to study! Goodness knows with his marks he needs it!"

"It's been a stressful school for him, Mum," Bill said. "Only Ginny's had it rougher arguably. Ron's nearly snuffed it a couple of times at least as has Ginny. None of the rest of us had it that way."

"Yet Ginny's at the top of her class," Molly began.

Bill shrugged. "I'd say leave it be. I'm not saying don't get on his case, but for this Holiday let him relax. Despite what he says, he still is having issues with Harry being in the Tournament. The only good thing is he no longer wants that chance at eternal glory. Besides, they've closed the Quidditch Pitch at school 'ccording to Ron. That was one of his outlets and it's not there this year."

Molly shrugged. "So when are you leaving?"

"Soon as Dad's ready."

Molly smiled. "He is looking forward to it isn't he?"

Bill nodded. "I think so.

SOUTH WING

In many ways, learning their daughter was a witch had been frustrating for the Grangers. It was not that they did not or would not believe it was true. They had witnessed what they now knew were outbursts of accidental magic when she was younger and, if that left any doubt, there was the demonstration by Professor McGonagall when she visited to inform them of her daughter's talent and Hogwarts school. Her daughter had let them read her school books after she was done with them or when she was not using them as at least a couple of them were general reference books she would need with her at school her whole time there. The summer before her Second Year, they had purchased extra copies of many of her books when they took her to Diagon Alley for her school supplies.

The frustrating thing was aside from the books and what Hermione would tell them in letters or during her times at home, they were not really allowed to be a part of this new life. It was like learning their daughter was a musical prodigy and was attending one of most elite musical schools in the world and they were never allowed to hear her practice or attend her recitals or concerts. They knew she was doing well in school from the glowing letters they had received from Professor McGonagall who in addition to teaching her Transfiguration was also her Head of House. But they were not allowed to truly see this for themselves because of certain laws prohibiting her from using magic at home and magics that prevented them from visiting the school - and they had asked.

Then, about a week or so ago, they received a letter from their daughter inviting them up to Hogwarts for this weekend. The letter explained that the magic that would otherwise keep them away did not work if it was possible to get them through the wards around the school safely and they had a way to do that. They would stay in a nice facility not unlike a hotel near the school and would be able to see magic, meet at least some of her professors as well as many of her friends and their families. She made it sound not unlike an Open House or some such. The letter told them that they would be picked up at 2:00 in the afternoon of Friday, March 31st, and brought to the school and would stay there until Sunday evening. Although they had to rearrange some appointments, naturally they were not going to miss this chance, especially since their daughter had remained at the school over the Christmas Holidays.

The couple packed a bag with the clothes they would need for the weekend and a couple of books for later in the evenings. Right around one they heard a "pop" and a strange being stood before them. It was about the size of a six year old child with bat like ears, a slightly grayish green complexion and extremely large eyes for its face. It wore a blue dress that somehow looked flattering on it and had long, brownish hair that spilled down its back.

"I am Winky," the Elf said. It would only be later that the Grangers learned that Winky had not always spoken the Queen's English. "I am a House Elf. I am Miss Hermione's friend and Elf and am here to take you to the South Wing, which is where you'll be staying while you are with us. I see you have your bags. I'll just pop those to your room and then we can go." The Elf snapped its fingers and the bags disappeared. They would later find out that most of the rest of their clothes did as well.

The Elf then spent the better part of an hour explaining to the Grangers what a House Elf was and their relationship with Witches and Wizards, including how breaking the bond could be fatal to them and was the cruelest thing anyone could do to an Elf. In her explanation, she told them how she came to be Hermione's Elf and that Hermione was vehemently opposed to Elf cruelty, but understood the magic and took Winky in when most witches and wizards would not have. The Grangers were horrified at how cruel some magical families could be.

"But are not Muggles capable of cruelty as well?" Winky replied. "Do you not have laws about abusing family members? Children? Pets and even wild animals?"

The Grangers nodded.

"Magic does not make a person cruel or good. They are that of their own accord and probably would be had they never known about magic," the Elf said. "Hermione is a very good person. Were all witches and wizards like her, they would never have had to fear or hide from Muggles. It was the bad ones who abused their gifts at the expense of others who led to that. She's my best friend and I willingly serve her and her family because I am also her friend. Now each of you take my hand and we can go."

One moment they were standing in their living room near Oxford and the next they were standing in what looked like a very, very fancy home or hotel lobby. They had not felt a thing.

"Where are we?" Robert Granger asked as he looked around the vast room.

"We call this the Main Floor," Winky said. "This room we call the Entrance Salon. It is the entrance to the South Wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and is the only entrance to this wing by any means. This is the Second Floor of the Wing and we call it the Main Floor in part because it is the only connection to the rest of the Castle, but also because most of the common use rooms are on this floor. Follow me please."

She led them to a small counter behind which was another Elf who introduced himself as Emile. The couple then heard a growing number of voices behind them and turned and saw a group of people coming towards them from a fireplace. There was a green flash of flames and another person stepped out. Most had suitcases or the like.

"You must be Robert and Rose Granger of Oxfordshire," Emile observed. "Parents of Hermione Granger."

"We are," Robert said.

"Just in time I see. A few seconds later and you'd have been in the queue. Right then. I take it you would like two room keys?"

Robert and Rose nodded. The Elf handed each of them a key. "Room 503, Winky," the Elf said. "Winky will explain things and answer any questions you might have."

"Thank you," Robert said as he and Rose turned away to follow Winky. There was indeed a queue behind them of about ten people. Judging from their attire, they were all witches and wizards and represented many ages, although it was also obvious none of them were students. It seemed most knew or at least knew of each other. The Grangers only recognized one; a tall red haired man in his mid-forties.

"Merlin's beard," the man said. "Robert and Rose Granger?"

"Hello Arthur," they replied. They had first met Arthur Weasley just before Hermione's second year in Diagon Alley. During the school years since, they had been to Arthur and Mollly's home a few times and Arthur had been by their place as well. Before Third Year, the two families had met in Diagon Alley again and spent a couple of days at the Leaky Cauldron together along with Hermione's best friend Harry Potter. Molly was difficult to read, but the Granger's found Arthur to be an honest, forthright and pleasant man even if he was as excited as a five year old about anything to do with the Muggle World. The truth was for the Grangers they might well have been just as excited about learning about Hermione's new life. They were just better card players than Arthur.

"This is my oldest," Arthur said indicating the long haired young man standing next to him. "Bill," he finished. "Head Boy back in his time here," he added proudly. "Now works as a Curse Breaker for Gringotts. Doing quite well for himself."

"Curse Breaker?" Robert asked.

"A lot of ancient tombs and vaults are protected by powerful ancient magics," Bill said. "My job is to find them, analyze them and break them so we can get in."

"Grave robbers?"

"More like private enterprise archeologists," Bill said. "The Goblins hate thieves and would not sink to that level. We find a tomb and analyze what we discover there. Unset or uncut gemstones we keep as we do bullion. But if an artifact has historical value of any sort, we offer it to the local authorities for a fee. Perfectly legal. If they fail to pay, we usually sell them to museums, although if there's a lot of the same stuff it may be auctioned to private collectors."

"Still," Rose began.

"You ever been to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo?" Bill asked. The Grangers shook their heads "It's huge and cramped. You walk through gallery upon gallery with the same things over and over and over again! Some of their stuff is truly unique, but a lot is repetitive. You know they have a whole room full of mummified cats? Honestly! How many do you really need?"

"So you're like Indiana Jones?" Robert said.

Bill Weasley chuckled although it was clear Arthur had no idea what that meant.

"I have seen that film," Bill chuckled. "Ever since it came out which was well before I finished school, it's popular been in my line of work. The third one as well. The second one is rubbish. But yeah, sort of. I don't wear the hat, don't have a whip and my life in the field is not nearly as exciting. No natives have tried to off me - unless you count the bloody bugs. Some of the curses I deal with are quite nasty. And when I come home, I don't stand in a classroom full of pretty girls drooling over me - pity that - but yeah, I guess that's a good analogy."

As Robert chuckled, Arthur said: "Any idea where we are? Bill and I came here to see Ginny, Fred and George who are spending the Holiday at Hogwarts. I know there's no place like this in Hogsmeade."

"Winky here told us this is the South Wing of Hogwarts itself," Rose said.

"Really?" Arthur asked in amazement. "I'd always wondered why they never thought of something like this before! Seems Dumbledore's outdone himself on this one!"

As the humans nodded no one noticed Winky's smirk.

"It's good to meet you," Rose said to Bill. "And good to see you again," she added to Arthur."

"Already checked in, I guess?" Bill asked.

Rose nodded.

"Well, we'll see you later then won't we Dad?"

"Erm," Arthur began.

"They look like they need to get settled and we don't want to hold up the queue."

"But there's no one behind us!" Arthur began.

"There was no one behind us either," Robert said. "Then there were." After shaking hands, the Grangers then followed Winky to the lift.

Their room was huge. It had a large and elegant canopied bed with two night stands followed by tall dressers. There were two sitting areas, one by the large fireplace with two high backed chairs and a couple of small tables and another near the entry with a table and four chairs. Winky explained they could use that for a private meal or tea if they desired. The fireplace was flanked by two large windows. On the wall opposite the bed there were two other doors and in between was a large and low chest of drawers with a large mirror over it. Winky explained that it was more than just a mirror. It was something they had only installed the day before. The mirror could be activated by a wand, but there were also three buttons on the frame.

The first turned it into a communication mirror, similar to a muggle telephone except you could also see the person you were talking to and you did not need to know any phone numbers. You simply pushed the button and called out the name of the person you wanted to talk to, or Room Service, Staff Service or the Infirmary. The second button accessed six different music channels. The third button turned the mirror into something not unlike a television. They could not actually pick up television signals. The Wing had its own "broadcast center" that provided the viewing to mirrors throughout the Wing. Robert picked up a large program guide. The guide showed there were fourteen different "channels" that had television shows, movies and sports broadcasts. None of it was "live." Robert asked how it worked, but Winky could only tell them it was magical.

Their bathroom was also very large. It had a double sink, a separate vanity, a huge bathtub and a separate shower. As it was located on the same wall as the windows, it had it's own window that allowed light in during the day. At night or if it was dark out it had magical lighting that activated whenever someone entered and shut off when they left. There was similar lighting in the walk in closet which was through the door on the other side of their room. The closet surprised them. It was already full of clothes. Not just any clothes, they realized, it was filled with their clothes.

"Winky?" Rose asked. "What are our clothes doing here?"

Winky explained that when magicals travel and have a House Elf to assist them, they do not pack suitcases or the like. The Elf handles the luggage as it were. Even if the trip was only for a couple of days, if there was space at their destination for their wardrobe, it would be brought there by elf magic.

"This way you not be worrying about what to wear or wondering why you didn't pack something," Winky said. "It'll all go back when you do."

"I guess it makes sense in a way," Robert said.

"And Winky also be bringing other things from your home," the Elf continued. She snapped her fingers and things appeared on the walls and other places. There were pictures from their home and things Robert and Rose considered important reminders of their life together. "Even if it is only a couple of days, it makes the room more like a home, yes?"

Rose could only nod in agreement. Robert did not know what to think, although in a way he liked it.

"Now," Winky said, "your daughter is expected back at four…"

"Expected back?" Rose asked.

"She and her friends are in London shopping - or at least looking," Winky replied. "It's now just after three so you can either unwind here or look around the Wing," Winky said before describing the Wing to the Grangers in detail. "Once she arrives, I'll see to it you get together wherever you are. You'll have a couple of hours with her before dinner. The two of you are invited to dine with her in the Private Apartments on the Third Floor tonight. It will be just like the Main Dinning Room on the Main Floor with menu service tonight. I can have a copy of the Dinner Menu sent here now, if you like."

"No," Rose said, "that's okay."

Winky then popped away.

"So we look around?" Rose suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Robert replied.

Harry and Neville returned to the Wing after Sirius and Remus had arrived but before the Grangers or any of the others showed up. They each went to their private apartments rather than deal with the guests from the first instance. For Harry there was a part of him that did not want to deal with the adults until after they knew the truth. There was also a part of him that feared whether he would survive the truth coming out. He had nine wives between the ages of thirteen and sixteen - unadjusted for Time Compression - and eight of them had fathers. That's not to say he was not afraid of the mothers, but the fathers truly scared him. After all, it was kind of hard to say he had the best of intentions with their little girls when every single one of them was already pregnant with his child. Harry was certain Neville had similar concerns.

Harry did think it was probably worse for Hermione in a way. It had already been agreed that she would tell most of this to all of them which included her own parents. Most of the wives and guests would be dining on the Main Floor this evening. A few, however, would be dinner guests in Potter House. Among those guests would be Hermione's parents. Harry had barely even met them once a couple of years ago. And the subject of the dinner would be all that had happened and why. That would come after dinner and Harry planned to do his best to enjoy what might well be his last meal.

Harry was standing on the private balcony looking down the black lake and admiring the view thinking if he had to snuff it, he'd prefer it be here where there is at least a stunning vista. His somewhat morose musings were interrupted by a cough. He turned and saw two men on the balcony with him. One was Professor Lupin and the other was…

"Sirius!" he said and he ran over and hugged his godfather.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Sirius laughed, "what are they feeding you? You've grown a foot since last year!"

"Erm - well maybe," Harry said as he stepped back. "My most recent growth spurt was only a little over six inches."

"You're taller than me!" Sirius protested. Harry was only slightly taller than his godfather, but he had grown some even before he took the potions.

"Growth potions," Harry said. "I'm told I should have been on them earlier but wasn't for some reason. I'm told this is the height I should be for my age and would've been had I not lived with the Dursleys."

Sirius nodded. One day the Dursleys would be paid a visit, that much was for certain. "Still stuck with the glasses, though," he said.

Harry shrugged. "My Dad had them too. Guess bad eyesight is a Potter thing and can't be blamed on the Dursleys."

"And you're not all scrawny anymore," Sirius said.

Harry nodded. "You've had a chance to look around?"

Sirius nodded.

"See the gym and swimming pool?"

He nodded again.

"Been working out - a lot."

"Your Elf Dobby told us a little about this place," Sirius said.

"Obviously not everything," Remus added.

Harry nodded. "I had little to do with it. It was mostly done when I first came here and what was done since was mostly the Elves."

"How did you lot do this?" Sirius asked eagerly. "I admit I'm more than a little envious. Even when we Marauders were here, we never pulled a stunt like this! You stole a whole wing of the castle!"

"We had permission to use any unused portion of the castle for training for the Tournament. We know Dumbledore knew that as McGonagall told us he approved it."

"I seriously doubt he meant this," Remus said.

Harry shrugged. "Neither he nor McGonagall placed any restrictions on the permission other than the place could not be currently in use."

"And the renovations?" Remus asked. "How are they a part of the training?"

"Did Dobby tell you how long they took?" Harry asked in reply.

"He told us the number of hours you lot spent on just renovating this wing."

Harry nodded. That was what Dobby was allowed to reveal. "I'm told the renovations began March 19th … of this year."

"But that's less than two weeks ago!"

"For you," Harry smirked. "For this Wing, it was over twenty-one months ago."

Sirius looked confused. Remus seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Time Compression!" he said after a bit.

Harry nodded.

"What's that?" Sirius asked.

"It's bloody difficult is what it is," Remus replied. "You mean this whole wing is under it?"

"Not at this moment," Harry said. "Got guests arriving, don't we and some of us are still in London. You activate that Ward and no one can enter or leave."

"What the bloody hell are you two talking about?" Sirius asked.

"A Time Compression Ward alters the rate at which time flows within the warded space," Remus replied. "It explains Harry's growth. He is probably several months older than he otherwise would be."

"Our compression ratio was two minutes equals a day," Harry said. "With the ward up, for every two minutes outside, a day passed in here. The ward extends far enough from the Wing to include the balconies. Hermione says it's also a brutal defensive ward. You try and cross it when it's up and the temporal rift will at best make you wish you were under the Cruciatus Curse and at worst rip you to pieces."

"How long?" Remus asked.

"For me? Wednesday morning was the first time I was here. For me that was 273 days ago or so. That's why it's so … comfortable. I spent months here in relative isolation training and stuff. It was just me, my friend Neville and a couple of girls…"

"Couple of girls?" Sirius asked. "Do tell!"

Harry ignored him. "Given the intensity of the training and studies, we needed a relaxing environment to retire to when the day was done. A day here or there, we could have roughed it. But nine months? Hermione and the others who made this place spent an hour a day for eleven days making this place happen - that's 330 days. Their first sixty days or so were spent on camp beds in a large, open, empty room. They can all tell you that was no fun at all."

"And the guest rooms?" Remus asked.

"We figured why not?" Harry replied. "We had the space and this is a Holiday so why not be able to invite family up here to enjoy a weekend together and put them up in style? I'm told the inns in Hogsmeade are rather basic."

"You could say that."

"And after this year? After this Holiday? What do you plan on doing with this? You honestly think Dumbledore will let you keep this?"

Harry smirked. "You'll learn that tomorrow. But I'll give you the conclusion. He won't have a choice!"

"What do you mean he won't have a choice?"

"Tomorrow," Harry said firmly. "Now, would you two like a tour of my Private Apartments before the other dinner guests arrive?"

The guests began arriving right around six. Actually, Hermione and her parents and Hannah and her mother were there earlier getting tours of their daughters private rooms. Hermione had selected the dinner guests. They were chosen for many reasons but the two most important were a couple of them posed the most risk to Sirius Black and the others could verify the facts and legalities about what had occurred. They would be the first to learn most of the truth, it having already been decided that the Founders' Heirs would not be revealed until all the guests learned the truth the next afternoon.

Hermione was here because much of this was her idea and the rest … well she was the leader of the group that did this. That meant her parents were here as well. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were on the list as they were for all practical purposes the only trust worthy adults in Harry's life. Neville was here with his Gran as this concerned House Longbottom. It also concerned House Abbott and House Bones, which meant that Hannah was here with her mother and Susan with her Aunt, who being the head of DMLE might be able to do something about Sirius's situation as that would be the first topic of discussion. The Tonks and Turpin families rounded out the list. Andy Tonks and her daughter "Don't Call Me Nymphadora" were cousins to both Harry and Sirius and Andy's husband Ted was a Healer. Lisa Turpin was there with her parents, her father also being a Healer.

"Siri!" a voice practically screamed as the guests began to arrive and a pink haired witch through herself at Sirius Black. He looked confused. "Don't say you don't remember your favorite cousin," she said with a pout.

Sirius blinked. "Nymphadora?" he asked.

"Right in one, but DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"You've grown," Sirius observed, "and you used to like your name."

"Course I've grown!" she said. "I was eight the last time we saw each other! We've missed you! As for my name, I liked it right up until I started Hogwarts. Do you have any idea how many mean and perverted nicknames that name caused?"

"I can guess."

"DON'T!"

"Hello, Siri," another female voice said.

"Andy!" Sirius said. "Merlin it's been ages!"

Andromeda Tonks hugged her cousin. "Ted and I never believed that rubbish about you," she whispered to him. She then stood back. "You're a little thin, but I like the hair."

"The Elf that did this is a bloody butcher," he replied running his hands through his short hair.

"You almost look respectable," Andy smirked.

"Technically, I suppose I'm supposed to arrest you now," Tonks said.

"Oh? They let little girls do that?" Sirius quipped.

"No, but they let Aurors do that, which is what I am as of last month. I work for Kingsley Shacklebolt. Our official job is to find you. We both don't believe the rubbish about you either so officially he's reporting you're in Tibet most likely. So officially, I can't possible have bumped into you, can I?"

Sirius chuckled.

"I'm rather disappointed at your attitude, Miss Tonks," a female voice said.

Sirius saw Tonks pale and looked at the new guest. He recognized her immediately. It was Amy Smyth, now known as Amelia Bones. She was a couple of years ahead of him back in school. He had asked her out a few times, but his family's reputation had been known to her and as she was Muggle Born, she had kindly turned him down.

"She's the Head of DMLE," Tonks whispered to him.

"I may have spent twelve years in hell and the last couple on the run, but I'm not totally clueless," Sirius replied. He then looked at Amelia. "I suppose you're going to clap me in irons now or some such?"

"Why would I do that?" Amelia replied.

"You have the fugitive mass murderer in front of you…" Sirius began.

"Never believed that rubbish myself," Amelia said. "You were too much the rebel to kiss the robes of any wizard. I was in no position then and I only began looking into your case after your escaped, Sirius. There were certainly … irregularities. I now have reason to believe you're no more a mass murderer than I am a singing star. And despite what the Minister says and Prophet prints, it's not a crime to escape Azkaban - probably 'cause no one's done it before you. Now that bit does pique my curiosity. More recently, however, I've received information from my Niece who swears it's accurate and who got it from Miss Granger that suggests fairly convincingly that you were innocent all along."

"I appreciate that," Sirius began.

"Did you do it?" Amelia asked. "Did you kill those Muggles?"

"No," Sirius said. "That was Peter Pettigrew."

"An unregistered rat animagus as I understand it and a Death Eater," she said.

Sirius nodded.

"Would you be willing to testify under veritiserum?"

"With Fudge around? The bloody bastard was going to have me kissed by a Dementor the last time he had his mitts on me!"

"WHAT? He may be the Minister for Magic but he legally lacks that authority! Only the Wizengamot can impose that penalty! His bloody infatuation with those creatures is unnatural! He and I are going to have words and as he can't fire me and I am affiliated with and Ancient and Noble House, the fat bastard better listen or I'll have him investigated! And I doubt his political career is clean enough to survive an inquiry! Again, would you testify under veritiserum to those events?"

"Yes."

"Pensieve memory as well?"

"You know as well as I do those are not admissible evidence," Sirius began.

"Not for proving someone else did it for certain," Amelia replied. "There are many ways a criminal can mess with a witness - Polyjuice potion for one. But for proving you did not, as long as your memory has not been altered it has always been conclusive for ruling out suspects."

Sirius nodded.

"I can't make any promises, Siri," she continued, "not until I am confident Fudge and his cronies are boxed in so tight they can't obstruct justice. But I do have one question for you."

"Oh?"

"Why didn't you appeal your incarceration? It always bothered me."

"Appeal?"

"Surely you know you had a year to appeal which would have forced a trial?"

"Um … I guess I forgot. It's not like anyone can think straight in that place!"

"Any other reasons," Amelia asked feeling there was more.

Sirius sighed. "I guess I kind of felt I deserved it."

"Oh?"

"Dumbledore told Lily and James to change Secret Keepers when Fabian Prewett was murdered. I was their Secret Keeper and recommended Pettigrew. They did it and were dead a couple of days later. In my mind, I as good as killed them!"

"Did you know Pettigrew was going to betray them?"

"No. He seemed the least likely to be a traitor."

"The best ones usually are that way - always the ones you'd least suspect."

Sirius nodded sadly.

"You didn't kill James and Lily," Amelia said. "You-Know-Who did. You didn't betray them. Pettigrew did. If you didn't know he was a traitor, then you are not responsible for what happened to James and Lily. And if you did not kill those Muggles … You were sent to prison 'cause two Aurors saw most of what happened. They couldn't say who did it. Only that Pettigrew accused you of betraying the Potters and then it all blew up and he was destroyed in the blast and you were there laughing like a maniac! You never testified or confessed. I never believed you did it. I believed you were emotionally distraught."

Sirius nodded.

"I can't make you any promises," she said. "I can't say I can have this cleared up in no time. Fudge has invested too much in making you his bugbear and getting loads of press about it to just change his spots. But I will try. Just do me a favor and don't do anything stupid."

"You know me, or at least you used to," Sirius chuckled.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Just keep out of sight. Please?" she pleaded. "I've lost to many people I care about, Siri."

"I'll try," he replied. "I have to! For Harry!"

Amelia smiled. "So, for now why not escort me to dinner?"

"Y-you mean like a date?"

She almost giggled. "Maybe," she said slowly. "But like a friend will do as well."

"I would be honored, fair maiden!" Sirius said.

"You were always over the top," Amelia chuckled. "So let's see what kind of food they serve here!"